Flying on a private jet made the trip to Kansas much easier — three hours in the air sounded far more pleasant than two days in a car. Everyone occupied themselves to pass the time. For Dean and Sam, this was almost a luxury: in their usual life, they traveled exclusively in the Impala, so the flight felt unusually comfortable.
After three and a half hours, the plane began to descend. Once they landed, Alex and the girls picked up GIR, MIMI, Stitch, and Claptrap. As for Ichiko and Niko — the two Zashiki-warashi — they once again turned into small dolls and settled comfortably in the pockets of Alex's coat.
Sam and Dean followed them out. Both stretched, enjoying how quickly and easily they had reached home. Walking through the airport, Alex noticed a familiar figure. A janitor, unnoticed by anyone, was calmly mopping the floor. It was the mysterious janitor Ahti, whose origins remained a mystery to everyone.
A wide smile appeared on Alex's face. He approached, exchanged a few words — and Ahti, as casually as ever, handed him three FBC agent badges. Taking them, Alex returned to the others and handed two badges to Dean and Sam.
The brothers exchanged looks, staring at their new IDs.
They had never expected to become official agents. Even more surprising was that Alex got the documents from a janitor — or someone who only looked like one.
He had to explain: who Ahti was, how mysterious his origins were, and that no one in the FBC really knew anything about him — except that he could appear anywhere and anytime. The answer was so bizarre that Dean and Sam simply nodded out of habit. Encounters with strange beings were nothing new to them.
Once they left the airport, Alex began looking around for a secluded spot where he could safely take the cars out of his inventory.
"I've been meaning to ask… Why is no one reacting to your little helpers?" Sam asked, nodding toward GIR, MIMI, and Stitch. "They… well, they stand out."
"See their little bags?" Alex said. "They're enchanted with a distraction spell. People notice they look strange, but subconsciously decide everything's normal and just look away."
"Yeah, more of your miracle magic…" Dean grumbled. "Alright, what's next? My car is still in that… inventory of yours. And you definitely can't take it out while there are people around."
"We just need to find a place without anyone around. And we still need to stop at the store and buy food. I don't know why, but I have a strong feeling your fridge doesn't contain anything edible," Alex said, giving the brothers an empty stare and walking ahead.
"Sam and I have different tastes. I like real food, and he likes grass," Dean snorted.
"Salads are tasty. Especially fresh vegetables," Lucina said as GIR climbed onto her shoulder.
"Exactly, Dean. With your diet, you'll have a heart attack in ten years," Sam replied and nudged his brother.
"At least I won't regret anything," Dean answered calmly. "With our job, you have to enjoy every moment. Who knows when you'll get lucky again."
Alex smiled and nodded — he agreed with that completely.
Finding an empty parking lot, he took both Impalas out of the inventory. Only one question remained — whose was whose. Alex and Dean exchanged looks, then glanced at the cars again and simultaneously snorted. A couple of seconds — and they knew exactly which one belonged to whom.
Alex and the girls got into their Impala, and Sam and Dean got into theirs. The drive to the town of Lebanon, where the legendary Men of Letters bunker was located, took about two hours. On the way, Alex stopped at a grocery store — he knew perfectly well that the Winchesters' fridge was usually empty unless it had beer in it.
In the end, Alex rolled out of the store with three carts filled with food. While they were loading everything into the trunks, Dean didn't miss the chance to joke that Alex was showing off his wealth again. Alex merely shrugged and remarked that the girls were not going to live on fast food.
After driving to the bunker, they descended into the underground parking lot. Alex was the first to step out of the car, looking around. There it was — the Men of Letters bunker. Following the brothers, he and the girls examined everything with interest.
They entered a spacious hall with a massive table, inside which a map was built. Alex knew it could display the activity of supernatural beings. He was already beginning to form plans for the future, but after glancing around, he realized one thing: this place desperately needed a deep cleaning.
"So, how do you like your new home?" Dean asked, setting the grocery bags right on top of the map.
"It wouldn't hurt to do a full cleaning here… How do you even live in such dust?" Alice said, running her finger across the table and showing the thick layer of dust.
"We usually don't have time…" Dean shrugged. "By the way, when's dinner? I'm starving."
"Where's your friend Castiel? It'd be unpleasant if he decided we were intruders," Alex asked.
"No idea. Probably sitting in his room watching his stupid TV shows," Dean replied.
"They aren't stupid — they're educational. People worked hard to make that show, and I must watch it so their efforts have meaning," a calm voice spoke behind them.
They all turned and saw a man with messy hair, wrapped in a blanket like a cocoon. It was Castiel — the angel who had lost faith in himself after Rowena's curse. Back then he had almost killed Dean, and the aftermath had taken a heavy toll on his mental state.
Lucina, Alice, and Samantha stared at him with open suspicion — he looked far more like a homeless man the Winchesters had picked up on the road than an angel. Even knowing the true reason behind his state, Lucina still couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
Alex, however, studied Castiel with genuine interest — not because he was the angel who had become part of the Winchester family. But because Alex didn't feel disgust coming from him. That was surprising: he remembered well what he felt when he killed that other angel back in Bright Falls.
Castiel radiated something strange, familiar — warm, faint, but distinct.
Castiel, in turn, watched Alex and the girls attentively, squinting as if trying to focus on something slipping out of his perception.
"Alright, stop staring at them like that, you'll burn a hole in them. This is Alex, Lucina, Samantha, and Alice. They're hunters and Men of Letters heirs. And they'll be living with us," Dean said, patting the angel on the shoulder.
"I'm not staring," Castiel replied quietly, still not looking away. "I'm trying to understand why I can't sense them. They're standing right in front of me, yet it's as if they aren't here."
"It's the protection magic. The girls and I have a bunch of amulets shielding us from supernatural attention. That's why you can't sense us. I hope we get along, Castiel," Alex said, smiling and extending his hand.
"A useful application of wards… for self-protection," the angel said, shaking his hand.
Alex's smile widened slightly, but inside his doubts only grew stronger. Why didn't he feel even a hint of disgust? During the handshake he tried to catch any trace of Chuck within Castiel's essence… but there was nothing. And that intrigued him even more.
After a brief exchange, Sam led Alex and the girls to choose their rooms. GIR, MIMI, Stitch, and Claptrap had already rushed ahead, eager to claim the perfect corner. Ichika and Niko flew through the corridors, exploring the new territory they were now responsible for guarding.
When everyone dispersed, Castiel continued to stare after Alex, as if trying to pull something important from the depths of his memory. There was a sense that they had met before — or that some strange, invisible connection existed between them.
"Enough staring," Dean snorted, nudging him with his elbow. "Take off that cocoon, put on normal clothes, and go shower. At this rate you're gonna hatch like a butterfly with brand-new wings."
"That is not how wings grow. If it were possible, I would have done it long ago," the angel replied calmly.
"Yeah, sure. Anyway, what's the word on Metatron from your angel radio?" Dean asked, pulling a beer from the bag.
"As always, angel radio is silent," Castiel sighed.
"Have you even left the bunker? Or did you just sit here the whole time while we were working our asses off?" Dean took a sip.
"Why leave? Everything necessary is here. Watching television shows is far more interesting at the moment than searching for Metatron, who is now mortal and missing," he said indifferently.
"Please don't tell me you were watching that stupid 'Father, Find Me' again," Dean groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I watched the daytime rerun when you returned. Jamie was not ready to become a father," the angel said calmly, still gripping his blanket.
"Ugh… Fine. Get changed and we'll tell you what happened while we were gone. A lot piled up this week," Dean said, setting his bottle on the table.
Castiel simply nodded and shuffled to his room, still wrapped in the blanket. Dean understood what was going on in his head — but no one had the luxury of indulging in a slump right now.
Meanwhile, Alex and the girls were unpacking. While they sorted through their luggage, he decided to walk around the bunker and make a list of everything that needed to be repaired, replaced, or thrown out. The bunker required serious work before it could become functional again.
As he moved from room to room, Alex wrote down every detail in his notebook. By the time he finished the inspection, he had filled several pages. He wasn't going to live in a place where half the things barely worked — or didn't work at all.
By evening, as promised, Alex had prepared dinner for everyone. Castiel, now properly dressed, had somehow managed to befriend GIR, MIMI, Stitch, and Claptrap.
This surprised not only Alex — everyone watched in disbelief as the angel quietly conversed with a chaotic company of mechanical beings.
Alex couldn't help but think this was the beginning of a very strange friendship — an angel who had turned his back on Heaven, and a group of entities whose thought processes could hardly be called… stable. Judging by the looks the others exchanged, they were thinking the same.
During dinner, Sam and Dean brought Castiel up to speed, explaining the recent events and how they had met Alex and the girls. When Dean pulled out the Blade of Cain and explained how he had it again, Castiel only looked at him thoughtfully and nodded without a word.
Thus began their first week in the bunker. Alex and the girls settled in quickly and got to work. The very first thing Alex tackled on the morning of day one was a full renovation and complete reorganization. Lucina, Alice, and Samantha focused on cleaning — none of them wanted to live in a dusty, abandoned place. Ichiko and Niko helped actively, fluttering through the corridors.
Sam and Dean initially thought they wouldn't have to do much — but Alex very quickly found tasks for them as well.
Alex was dismantling old, long-broken equipment and performing full-scale repairs — fortunately, he had more than enough tools and materials. On the very first day, he literally took apart the huge supernatural radar map down to the last bolt and reassembled it, upgrading the system. Now the radar could not only detect supernatural involvement in murders but also track traces of Amara's power fragments if they manifested in the world.
Even Castiel found work. He was helping MIMI digitize the library: Castiel would hand books over while MIMI scanned and organized them for the archive.
Within a few days, the bunker began to transform visibly. Old, broken equipment was replaced by new, functioning systems. Dean and Sam began to see Alex's claims of being "rich" in a new light. Everything Alex ordered cost a fortune. Fortunately, through the FBC, he could obtain anything he needed without unnecessary questions.
During this time, he frequently corresponded with Jesse, who once jokingly remarked that Alex had turned the Bureau into a delivery service — he ordered so much.
Dean was the hardest to adjust. He was used to sitting anywhere, putting his feet on the table, and drinking beer. Now Alex had designated work zones where that behavior was prohibited. For a couple of days, Dean grumbled and complained… until they set him up with free satellite TV and Alex created a special lounge room with a giant TV and a mini-fridge stocked with beer.
Sam, on the other hand, adapted more easily. He had long been trying to get Dean to live "like normal people" and not leave trash around. Alex even shared the search program that GIR had developed — Sam was incredibly grateful.
As Alex had predicted, Castiel quickly became friends with GIR, MIMI, Stitch, and Claptrap. This strange quartet almost immediately pulled the angel out of the depression he had fallen into because of his mistakes and lost powers.
The girls also settled in quickly. And for Samantha, as Alex promised, physical training began. He started teaching her the Insect Breathing style, which suited her physique perfectly. Alex even gave Samantha a katana that once belonged to Shinobu Kocho so she could get used to handling a weapon.
Meanwhile, the search for traces of Amara's power continued. All locations where her power might manifest were already marked on the upgraded map. But before heading anywhere, the bunker repairs had to be completed.
As for the demons named Cruz and Albert… Alex had killed them even before the move.
Thus passed an intense week during which everyone rarely left the bunker — there was simply too much work to do.
Now Alex, Dean, and Sam were sitting in the library. Lucina and Alice were watching Samantha train — Alice even felt the urge to start exercising herself. She just wanted to swing one of the many katanas in Alex's collection.
Alex calmly sipped his coffee while scrolling through news on his phone. Dean pretended to be looking for something too, but in reality, he was just watching funny videos on the phone Alex had given him. Sam drank coffee while reading articles, trying to find possible traces of Amara. The brothers believed that Amara was still feeding on human souls, so Sam looked for news about mysterious deaths.
Alex only pretended to be searching for anything worthwhile. By agreement with Amara, she was no longer consuming souls — she just maintained the appearance to avoid arousing Chuck's suspicion.
"Guys, I think I found something," Sam said, turning his laptop screen toward Alex and Dean.
Alex and Dean set their phones aside and leaned toward the screen, reading the article they had found. Alex quickly scanned the text and then looked up at Sam. Dean, having finished reading, just made a skeptical face. Sam, however, looked confident — maybe too confident.
"Sam, I don't want to upset you, but are you sure this is our case?" Dean asked, raising his eyes to his brother.
"I think only a soulless psycho could kill a kitten," Sam said, nodding firmly.
"Is this by any chance the city where you met that guy whose soul was drained? The one after which you got tied up by the girl whose soul Amara also drained?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sam was about to confirm that Alex had guessed correctly when his phone suddenly rang. He stepped aside to answer it. Alex and Dean exchanged glances, shrugged, and went about their own business while Sam talked.
Alex finished his coffee and was about to get up to pour another cup when Nico suddenly landed next to him, holding a coffee pot. She deftly refilled his mug to the brim. Alex smiled and gently ruffled her hair before she darted off again, still carrying the pot.
By the time Sam finished his call, he looked noticeably puzzled, as if the conversation had thrown him off balance.
"Who was that?" Alex asked, sipping his hot coffee.
"Detective Madsen. Dean, do you remember a guy named Len?" Sam turned to his brother.
"Yeah, that soulless weirdo who went to prison willingly? We literally just talked about him," Dean replied, nodding.
"He's dead," Sam said, carefully watching Dean's reaction.
"Hmm… strange. Why would a soulless person suddenly die? And in prison, no less? He definitely didn't have enemies — I studied his case. He wouldn't even hurt a fly before losing his soul. This is highly suspicious," Alex muttered, stroking his chin.
"I think so too. We need to check it out. But it'll take us a few days to get to Fall River," Sam noted.
"Alright, I'll book the tickets. We'll be there in a couple of hours," Alex said, starting the purchase.
"What would we do without your money, man? You really make life easier for us," Dean smirked.
"You'll pay for your own flights once you get your first Bureau paycheck. Alright, tickets are booked. We leave in a couple of hours. I love it when money solves everything. Offer enough, and they'll give you a private plane," Alex said, beaming, showing the phone screen.
Right after booking, Alex, Sam, and Dean split up to get ready. Alex went to the girls and told them they might have found a lead that leads to Crowley. Then he quickly changed into his federal agent suit and went down to the garage to wait for the brothers.
At the airport, they got out of the Impala, and Alex stored the car in his inventory. The flight to Fall River took just under three hours — incredibly fast — and immediately after landing, they headed to the local police station.
Alex knew perfectly well where Crowley was hiding but wanted to make absolutely sure that the demon was indeed in the abandoned psychiatric hospital.
At the station, Alex introduced himself as an FBC agent, while Dean and Sam were still going by their usual FBI covers — otherwise their past aliases could raise suspicion. As Detective Madsen described Len's death, Alex caught a strong scent of sulfur in the air. He quietly mentioned it to Sam and Dean — and they picked it up too.
According to the detective, it looked like a revenge killing. But Len definitely hadn't made enemies like that.
When Madsen left, Alex, Sam, and Dean exchanged looks.
"Why would a demon kill Len?" Sam frowned.
"Yeah, it's weird. A body without a soul is like a Kinder egg without the toy for a demon," Dean muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Why kill a vessel you could possess?"
"Maybe Crowley's covering his tracks," Alex suggested. "We know he has Amara. And Crowley's careful — he won't let anyone get close to Amara's trail. He'd lose his new trump card."
"Sounds logical. Now we just need to figure out where to find him," Sam said with a nod.
While they were discussing how to track the demon, shouting erupted nearby. Alex, Sam, and Dean turned and saw a girl struggling violently against the officers restraining her. A minute later she was dragged to a holding cell.
Sam walked up to Madsen to ask what happened. The detective explained that yesterday she was completely normal, but this morning she nearly killed her own mother with a frying pan — they had no choice but to detain her.
Alex, Sam, and Dean exchanged glances. Her condition meant only one thing — she no longer had a soul. Alex frowned. He had specifically made an agreement with Amara so she would stop feeding on human souls.
The only explanation that came to his mind was that Amara still didn't fully control the body she was in. The physical vessel acted on its own, trying to mature as fast as possible — as if another instinctive entity was living inside it.
But a girl without a soul meant just one thing: a demon would show up soon to "clean up" the loose ends.
Wasting no time, Alex, Sam, and Dean prepared a trap.
And just as they expected, a demon arrived a couple of hours later.
The trio stayed hidden nearby, watching as the demon walked down the corridor, keys jingling quietly. He stopped at the girl's cell, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.
"Nothing personal, sweetheart. The boss's daughter made a mess in this town, and I'm just cleaning up after her," the demon said — his sclera instantly turning black.
He took a step forward — and froze. It was as if he'd slammed into an invisible wall. He lifted his head and saw the devil's trap glowing above him on the ceiling. Realization washed over him, followed by a low growl of irritation.
Footsteps echoed behind him. The demon turned and saw Alex, Sam, and Dean stepping out of the shadows — all three wearing openly amused, mocking grins.
Alex approached first.
"You're right, buddy. Nothing personal — just business," he said gently. "And now… clench your teeth. This is gonna hurt."
He slammed his fist into the demon's temple. The demon didn't even have time to cry out — he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
Alex turned to the brothers and gave them a thumbs‑up.
"Client's ready."
Dean smirked, pulled out a demon bag and hell cuffs. They worked quickly and smoothly: chained the demon, stuffed him inside, while Sam slammed the cell door on the girl the demon had come for — the one he needed to cover the tracks leading to Crowley and Amara.
Dragging the demon out of the station, Alex and Dean looked around, made sure no one was watching, and carefully tossed the body into the Impala's trunk. Alex lit a cigarette, leaning against the car, while Dean shrugged off his jacket and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
A couple of minutes later Sam appeared — he had erased all records of the detained girl — and the trio headed to the nearest motel that took only cash and didn't ask questions.
In the room, they sat the demon on a chair. Dean tore the bag off his head, stepped back to the wall, and crossed his arms, holding the Blade of Cain in one hand. Alex and Sam sat across from the demon, calm, as if they were talking not to a captive, but just to an ordinary person.
"So," Alex began, rolling the knife between his fingers. "Old rules. We ask questions, you answer. If you don't answer — you get hurt. Simple."
"Seriously?.." The demon looked them over and smirked. "The Winchester boys got themselves a third member and decided to become a boy band?"
Dean chuckled, glanced at Alex, and gave a barely noticeable nod. A warm, friendly smile lit up Alex's face — so gentle and calm that the demon felt the first sting of panic. Sam and Dean knew well: if Alex smiled like that, someone was about to suffer.
Alex stood up, pulled a silver knuckle duster engraved with runes from his inner pocket, and slowly slid it onto his hand.
"Let's begin our friendly introduction," he said softly.
He grabbed the demon by the collar and landed the first punch. The demon's head snapped back. The second punch came as Alex yanked him forward again. Within seconds, the demon's face was splattered with his own blood.
"Stop! Stop!" he spat out blood and a piece of a tooth. "You'll wreck the vessel."
"What does it matter? Your vessel's already dead," Alex noted, pointing at a bullet hole in the body's chest.
The demon cursed. He knew he wouldn't be able to talk his way out of this.
"Where is Crowley keeping Amara? And why does he need her?" Sam asked calmly, leaning on the back of the chair.
"No idea," the demon grinned. "And even if I did — I wouldn't tell you."
"Don't play dumb," Sam narrowed his eyes. "We know Amara is growing faster than she should."
"Oh, that's true," the demon snorted. "Demonic souls are great for a growing body… She devoured my friends until Crowley cut her rations. But the kid's got a temper. Started sneaking out for extra snacks. Children these days are so gluttonous. But daddy shut down her little food adventures real quick."
Dean grabbed him by the collar and pressed the Blade of Cain to his throat.
"Where is Crowley keeping Amara. Talk. Now."
"Oh, Dean Winchester with the Blade of Cain again…" the demon smirked. "Daddy's going to be disappointed. But no, boys. You can torture me all you want — I won't tell you a thing. You're going to kill me anyway."
"Great," Dean said, glancing at Alex. "Alex, got any ideas? Maybe you'll show your talent for loosening tongues again? Every demon that ended up in your hands talked. Eventually."
Alex pulled a chair toward himself and sat down calmly in front of the demon.
"Give me five minutes. And our new friend will tell us everything. Friendship, you know, starts with getting acquainted."
The demon smirked.
"You have a weird sense of getting acquainted. Starting with a punch to the face — original. But I'm still not talking."
Alex nodded.
"Of course. But you see, I have one… wonderful little thing."
He pulled out a small case. Inside, in neat rows, lay thin silver nails.
"These are sacred nails," Alex said evenly. "Made from consecrated metal. Very old. Got them by chance, but they work beautifully. They cause unbearable pain to all dark beings."
He lifted one nail.
"Each next one increases the pain fivefold."
Alex looked the demon straight in the eyes:
"I hope you're sturdier than the demon who had fun in my basement. He lasted four. Out of ten."
The demon, seeing the silver nails in Alex's hands, instantly understood: nothing good awaited him. Alex glanced at Dean, and Dean, nodding, roughly shoved a cloth into the demon's mouth.
With a smile that promised nothing pleasant, Alex pulled the first nail from the case and slowly drove it into the demon's leg. The demon's body jerked violently — the enchanted metal burned through flesh, unleashing agony impossible to ignore. A muffled, heart‑rending groan escaped his mouth; he could no longer scream.
With the same almost calm smile, Alex took out a second nail and just as slowly drove it in beside the first. The pain roared through the demon's body, exactly as Alex had warned.
When Alex lifted the third nail, the demon began shaking his head frantically, begging him to stop. But Alex only smiled a little wider — and drove the nail in.
Sam and Dean watched without much emotion. They were only wondering one thing: what else did this guy keep in his arsenal?
When Alex took out the fourth nail, the demon was already nodding feverishly, ready to tell them absolutely everything just to stop the torture. Alex calmly watched this despair, lazily rolling the nail between his fingers. Only after thirty seconds did he pull all the nails out, wipe them clean of blood, and carefully return them to the case, which he slipped back into the inner pocket of his jacket.
The pain receded slowly. The demon hung his head, gasping for air.
"Well? Ready to talk?" Dean asked calmly, pulling out the cloth.
"Y-yes… yes. I'll tell you everything. Just keep him away from me…" the demon exhaled, glancing fearfully at Alex.
"Weakling," Alex snorted as he stood up. "You could've at least tried to last a bit longer."
The demon only trembled.
"Where is Crowley keeping Amara? Or do you want us to continue?" Sam asked in an even tone.
"In an abandoned asylum!" the demon blurted immediately. "I don't know why he needs her, but she's there. She's definitely there!"
"What's the name of the asylum?" Dean lazily rolled the Blade of Cain between his fingers. "Or should we dig through every abandoned nuthouse in the country?"
"N-Nidham… or something like that…" the demon squeezed out.
Sam pulled out his phone and within seconds found the right location — an old, long-shut psychiatric hospital. He turned the screen toward Alex and Dean. They nodded, and the demon immediately started vigorously confirming that this was the place.
Alex couldn't resist commenting:
"Close to Fall River. Makes sense why Amara kept appearing in that town."
"Yeah," Dean and Sam agreed.
Dean cast one last look at the demon — and without another word drove the Blade of Cain into his chest. The body went limp.
"Knowing Crowley, he'd love a place like that," Dean muttered, wiping the blade.
"Oh, definitely," Sam said. "How could I forget your 'summer of love'? You know him better than anyone."
Dean rolled his eyes.
"Alright, enough," Alex cut in. "We'll wait till evening and check out that asylum. For now, I could use some food."
"You sure we should storm that place without preparation?" Sam asked, standing up.
"We don't have a choice. Better fast and unexpected. The demon said Amara already ate a bunch of them. Means there aren't many left there. And there are three of us. And nobody's sending you in alone," Dean reminded him.
Sam just sighed.
"Okay. What do we do with the body?"
"It's handled. I already sent the request. Cleanup team will be here soon," Alex replied.
Dean grinned:
"Damn, I'm really starting to like being an official agent. So many perks — and no need to bury bodies in the woods."
Alex laughed, Sam only shook his head.
They left the room, locked the door, and got into the Impala. Just as Alex said: food now, Crowley's lair later.
A few minutes after they drove off, an FBC cleanup team arrived to remove all evidence.
To be continued…
(I'm debating whether I should make a separate chapter for Kistel's adventure with GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, or just make it a passing plot point. You already know the rest of the story. Amara must escape to continue her villainous ways. Then there's the search for the places where darkness supposedly seeped into the world. And hmm...)
Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter